


Through the Warning Signs

by crimsontheory



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Harry, Bottom Louis, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, M/M, Office Sex, Pining, Smut, i'm also terrible at summaries rip, i'm still terrible at tagging i apologize
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 01:44:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15898374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsontheory/pseuds/crimsontheory
Summary: Harry and Louis have been best friends for years, but when Louis suggests they become friends with benefits, how will Harry handle that while also being in love with Louis?





	Through the Warning Signs

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hello! I'm so happy I got Only Angel as my song because it's my favorite from Harry's album. I've kind of always had this idea about what a fic inspired by this song would be like, so I'm excited I got the chance to write it. Now that I'm finished, I'm not sure how well it really goes with the song, but I had a lot of fun writing this.
> 
> I have to say a huge, giant, massive thank you to Jacky for being the most wonderful beta and helping me out with this. I would have been completely lost without her. She helped me so, soooooo much, I don't even know how to fully express my gratitude and appreciation. She was an absolute joy to work with! Unfortunately, I'm still a terrible writer and even someone as amazing and an incredible writer herself like Jacky can't help me _that_ much because I'm hopeless, lol.
> 
> Of course, the title is taken from Only Angel by Harry Styles.

Cheap beer was sloshing around at the bottom of his empty stomach. His office could throw this fancy ass party, but could only afford this mediocre beer, or piss water more like. But Harry needed it because Louis was here. Louis was here and he was glowing from the few beers he’d had already, looking soft yet sexy at the same time and it was doing things to Harry’s head. 

He tossed the half-empty beer bottle into the bin before making his way across the room toward Louis. Harry couldn't even remember why the office was throwing this party, he just remembered briefly reading over the email he received in his inbox with the invite. Maybe it was a retirement party because he thought he heard murmurs in the break room about Annette from accounting getting ready to retire. He had spoken to Annette a total of probably three times out of all the years they’ve worked together, he only came to this party for the free food and the free, unfortunately shitty, alcohol. They could have at least had some champagne or something, it was a celebration, right? The bubbles would have probably helped the nervous fluttering in his stomach.

Why was he even nervous in the first place? He and Louis were _best friends_ , have been for over five years now. It might have something to do with the fact that Harry had been in love with Louis since the day they met and he’s only fallen harder with every passing day, but that was neither here nor there.

“Harry!” Louis exclaimed loudly, a wide smile on his face and his arms opened wide on either side of him. God, that smile was gorgeous. Louis was _always_ gorgeous, but he was especially so whenever he smiled.

Harry approached him and easily stepped into his embrace, melting against Louis’ chest as he wrapped his arms around him. “Hey,” Harry greeted as he reluctantly took a step back from Louis, but he couldn’t help but notice the way that Louis’ hand lingered on his hip before falling away completely.

“Was wondering if you were going to show up,” Louis said, taking a swig out of his beer.

Harry shrugged, sidestepping out of the way of a few of their coworkers who were passing by on their way to the food table. “I just got here, almost didn’t come at all.”

“I’m glad you decided to come,” Louis said, clapping Harry on the back. “Although I only came for the free booze.” He held up his beer bottle for emphasis. “Listen, do you want to go somewhere a little quieter? I’d rather hang out just the two of us.”

Harry nodded because he couldn’t deny Louis anything but he was a little confused as to why Louis wanted to hang out while at an office party when they could hang out just as easily outside of work, which they usually did. Niall always joked about them being connected at the hip. “Sure.”

“Okay great,” Louis smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, something almost like nerves flickering across his face before he turned away. “I’m gonna grab a piece of that cake though before it’s all gone. I’ll meet you in your office?”

Most of the hallways leading out to the offices outside of the main reception area where the party was currently taking place were deserted, seeing as how it was almost ten at night on a Friday. Harry wandered down the dark hallway on the far left side where his office was located. When he reached his door he pushed it open and stepped inside, flicking on the light. He perched his bum on the edge of his desk and it was only a few moments later when Louis came walking in.

“This cake is dry as hell,” Louis said, crumbs flying out of his mouth. “Definitely nothing like the cakes you make, Hazza.” 

Harry ducked his head to hide the blush that bloomed on his cheeks just from that simple compliment. He didn’t understand how Louis couldn’t see how far gone Harry was for him because sometimes he felt like he was so _obvious_ about it. Almost as if he had a flashing neon sign hanging from around his neck that read ‘I’m in love with Louis’.

Maybe Louis did notice and he didn’t want to say anything because he didn’t feel the same way and he didn’t want to ruin their friendship. Harry shuddered at the dark thought. He didn’t like to think about that possibility. 

He knew that there was no way that Louis felt the same way about him because they had been friends for over five years and if there was any sort of reciprocated feelings then surely they would have done something about it by now. But then again, Harry was too scared to get his head out of his arse and tell Louis how he felt.

Harry watched as Louis took another bite of the cake, wrinkled his nose at the taste, and placed the plate down on the desk next to Harry’s hip. He stepped in between Harry’s spread legs and brought the beer bottle in his hand up to his mouth. Harry swallowed and followed the movement with his eyes. He lingered on the way Louis’ lips wrapped around the bottle as he drank.

“Even this beer is shit,” Louis said, a slight frown on his face. “What kind of office party is this?”

All Harry could do in response was nod. His mouth had gone so dry from having Louis this close—with his free hand delicately resting on Harry’s thigh—that Harry didn’t really trust his voice at the moment. 

Then, almost as if in slow motion, Harry saw Louis’ eyes flit down to Harry’s mouth. Instinctively, he slipped his tongue out to lick his lips and he heard Louis draw in a quick breath. He watched as Louis’ eyes traveled back up to his face to meet his own and there was something in them that Harry couldn’t quite read.

“Lou,” Harry whispered, his voice low and raspy. His heart beating double time. 

The hand Louis had resting on Harry’s thigh tightened its grip and he placed his beer down on the desk. Before Harry had a chance to ask what was going on—because what he _thought_ was going on couldn't be possible—Louis surged forward, connecting their lips. Harry was so shocked that this was actually happening that it took him a few seconds to respond. He slid his arms around Louis’ waist and pulled him closer.

He could feel Louis trying to deepen the kiss, but because Harry’s brain couldn’t just shut off and enjoy this, he was pulling away. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Louis blinked slowly, pulling his gaze away from Harry’s lips to look him in the eye. “Absolutely,” he nodded. “Are you—do you _not_ want to do this?” 

What kind of stupid question was that? Harry answered him by kissing him again, this time with more force and confidence than the first time. Now that he knew this was what Louis wanted too, he couldn’t stop himself. 

When Harry licked across the seam of Louis’ lips, Louis opened up immediately, allowing Harry to slip his tongue inside. He was kissing Louis. He was actually kissing Louis and it was, _god_ , it was incredible. He tasted like chocolate cake and shitty beer, but there was something sharper lingering underneath that was distinctly Louis that Harry couldn’t get enough of.

He removed one of his arms from around Louis’ waist and brought it up to play with the hairs at the base of Louis’ neck. Louis groaned at that and the vibrations transferred from his lips throughout Harry’s entire body.

Louis was a much better kisser than Harry had ever imagined because he did imagine it quite a lot. He kissed like he was desperate for it, like this was the last kiss he would ever have. Messy yet refined, with these little flicks of his tongue that drove Harry wild.

Even though this was what Harry had been dreaming of your _years_ , there was a little voice in the back of his head telling him that this was wrong. Despite Louis saying himself that he wanted it, that he was okay with it, Harry knew that his feelings weren’t the same as his. They were best friends and surely this was crossing some sort of line that would forever ruin their friendship.

Later, Louis would probably blame it on the fact that they both had been drinking even though neither one of them was actually drunk. Harry had seen Louis drunk on several occasions throughout the years they had known each other and this wasn’t it. Harry hadn’t even had an entire bottle, just a little over half of one.

He pushed away that annoying voice in his head because the feeling of Louis’ soft lips against his own was too good to stop. This was everything he ever wanted and he was _weak_.

Harry gasped into Louis’ mouth when Louis’ hand that was previously on his thigh traveled a little further up and squeezed over Harry’s clothed cock.

“This okay?” Louis asked, barely pulling back enough, his lips brushing against Harry’s as he spoke.

Harry nodded in response. He leaned back a tad because he thought Louis was going to go for the button on his jeans, but instead, he reached up and undid all the buttons on Harry’s shirt, letting it fall open at his sides. Louis ran his hands along the expanse of Harry’s chest stopping to thumb at a nipple which caused Harry’s hips to buck up 

Louis smirked when he noticed how much Harry was straining in his jeans and he finally popped the button on his jeans and dragged the zipper down. Harry was breathing hard, his chest rapidly rising and falling, as Louis slowly dipped his fingers underneath the waistband of Harry’s boxer briefs.

He lifted his hips off the desk so Louis could pull down both his jeans and briefs to his knees. Harry placed his bare arse on the desk and leaned back onto the palms of his hands. Louis circled his hand around Harry’s cock, giving him a few long and slow strokes.

Harry shuddered at the roughness of it. He’d always been one for a bit of pain during sex, so the harsh drag of Louis’ hand over him felt _phenomenal_. Louis began to stroke him faster, dipping his thumb into Harry’s slit every so often, changing it up so Harry didn’t know when it was coming next. He couldn’t help the quiet gasps and breathy moans falling from his lips. Somehow, Louis knew exactly what Harry liked and it had him hurtling toward edge embarrassingly fast.

“Lou, fuck, I—I’m gonna come,” Harry gasped, his hips chasing the movement of Louis’ hand.

Louis looked up at him with a sly smile and mischief in his eyes then leaned down and gave the head of Harry’s cock a little kitten lick before wrapping his lips around it and that was _it_. Harry wasn’t even able to get out a warning before he was crying out and coming harder than he ever had in his life. He fell back against the desk as his entire body shook with the aftershocks. There was paper crinkling underneath him and what felt like a stapler digging into the small of his back, but that was the best orgasm he had ever had and he couldn’t give a single fuck right now.

He looked up just in time to see Louis jerking himself off and coming over Harry’s stomach. Harry’s cock gave a little twitch at that because that was definitely the hottest thing Harry had ever witnessed. Louis cleaned himself and Harry up with napkins he brought in along with his cake.

Harry sat back and was about to grab Louis to go in for another kiss when a laugh from out in the hallway startled him. His surroundings came into focus and he remembered where they were. He was so focused on the fact that Louis was touching him that he completely forgot they were still at the office.

Louis froze in the middle of zipping up his trousers, his eyes going wide at the sound in the hallway. He rushed with straightening out his clothes, almost as if he was in a hurry to get out of there before they were caught. “We should probably get back out there before someone realizes we’re missing,” 

No one was going to realize they were missing and if they did they'd probably just assumed they went home, but Harry nodded anyway. Louis disposed of the dirty napkins and his half-eaten cake and then practically ran out the door without even looking back.

Shame and embarrassment washed over Harry as he tucked himself back into his jeans and buttoned up his shirt. He tidied up his desk and then went out in search of Louis. He checked the main area of their office where the food and most of the people were, but Louis was nowhere in sight. He also checked Louis’ personal office, but the light was off and the door was locked. Harry couldn’t find him anywhere, he must have left.

He took the lift down to the lobby and once he made it out he dialed Louis’ number; it went straight to voicemail. He shot him a text asking him if he made it home okay and then walked to the nearest tube station. 

The ride home felt twice as long than normal and Harry couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something else had happened between them back in the office and it made Harry’s heart sink into his stomach. He didn’t want their friendship to be ruined.

He shucked his shoes off inside the door as soon as he got home, placing his keys on the hook on the wall. Niall was sitting in the living room, feet propped up on the coffee table, with a large bowl of popcorn in his lap. The Netflix menu was open on the television screen across from him.

“Hey,” he greeted when Harry walked into the room. “You’re home earlier than I thought you’d be, but just in time! I was about to watch a movie, you wanna join?”

“Nah,” Harry replied, bypassing the couch where Niall was sitting and heading straight for his bedroom. “I think I’m just going to go to bed.”

“You okay?” Niall asked, concern evident in his voice.

“Yeah,” Harry lied. “Just tired. Think I had too much to drink at the party.”

“Okay, well I’ll make my hangover cure for breakfast in the morning.”

“Thanks, Ni,” Harry said, opening his bedroom door. “That sounds great. Love you.”

“Love you too, H,” Niall replied.

\--

A knock on his door Saturday afternoon startled Harry so much that he almost dropped his bowl of macaroni and cheese on the floor of his kitchen. He knew who was on the other side of the door, and usually, that wouldn’t make him nervous, but today it made him incredibly nervous.

He took a bite of his mac and cheese, before rounding the corner into the entryway, bowl still in hand. Seeing Louis after everything that happened yesterday wasn’t as awkward as Harry thought it would be. It’s just Louis, who Harry had always felt comfortable around.

It was a little weird that Louis disappeared last night and then texted Harry this morning as if nothing happened. He knew the conversation was coming, they couldn’t go back to normal and pretend like nothing had happened, at least Harry couldn’t do that. He needed to know what this meant. He’s been in love with his best friend for years and he couldn’t let Louis play with his heart like that. 

“What’s the plan for today, Harold?” Louis asked, stepping into the flat and taking Harry’s bowl of mac and cheese right out of his hand. 

Harry frowned as he watched Louis walk into the living room and plop himself down on the sofa. Maybe the conversation wasn’t coming as soon as he thought it would. “I don’t really feel up to going anywhere, so we can just hang out here. Niall had to work this morning so we have the place to ourselves.”

He wandered back into the kitchen to make himself another bowl of macaroni because it seemed like Louis was going to eat the entirety of the first bowl he made.

The rest of the day went like a fairly normal Saturday; the two of them lounging in the living room watching football because Louis always wanted to watch football and eating as much junk food as possible. Niall joined them when he got home from work. Louis had never brought up their little rendezvous in the office and it had been nagging on Harry all day.

He was starting to think that maybe Louis had regretted it and _wanted_ to pretend like it hadn’t happened and that made Harry’s heart hurt. He didn’t know how much longer he could go without knowing where they stood.

\--

Halfway through the workday on Monday Harry and Louis were having lunch in Harry’s office as they usually did. Things were starting to feel awkward now since they were sitting at the desk where Louis made him come just a few days ago and it was _obvious_ that they weren’t talking about the giant elephant in the room.

The entire weekend had passed without discussing it and Harry couldn’t take it any longer. He was itching with the need to get it off his chest, he spent days going over and over it in his head.

“Why haven’t we talked about it yet?” Harry asked when he couldn’t stand the awkward silence between them anymore.

“Talk about what?” Louis said with his mouth full. Harry knew by the way he said it, that Louis knew exactly what he was talking about.

“That we had sex. Do you regret it? Is that why we haven’t talked about it?”

“I don’t regret it,” Louis said quietly, surprising Harry. He thought for sure that was the reason he’d been ignoring it all weekend. “I’m sorry I’ve been acting like nothing happened, but I just needed some time to think about it.”

“Think about it?” Harry questioned, furrowing his brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but I’m also not looking for anything more,” Louis explained. Harry nodded because, well, that was to be expected. It was better than nothing he supposed, better than not having Louis in his life at all anymore. “You know I just got out of a serious relationship,” Harry groaned inwardly, he didn’t like to be reminded of the guy Louis was with for a little over a year. That guy was a tool and Harry hated that Louis was with him. He also hated that he was _ecstatic_ when they finally broke it off. “I don’t want to jump into a relationship so quickly after that, you know? Not like you and I would be in a relationship or anything. We’re best friends, that would be crazy.” Harry’s heart panged painfully in his chest. _Crazy_. Louis thought the idea of them being more than friends was _crazy_ when it was the one thing Harry wanted more than anything. It was fine. He was fine. “But I have needs and I’m sure you have the same needs and we could be there for each other to satisfy those needs.”

Harry just blinked at Louis in surprise, his head cocked to the side like a dog. “Like friends with benefits?”

“Yeah,” Louis shrugged. “No strings attached. Just sex.”

Harry thought back to the other night and how good Louis made him feel and how hard he came from just Louis’ hand. He couldn’t even imagine how incredible it would be if they did anything more. Sure, he’d actually like to be boyfriends and stuff, but this definitely had its appeal even if it were for selfish reasons. “You’d want that with me?”

Louis shrugged. “I mean, why not? We’re friends and we both know that it wouldn’t mean anything.”

Right, it wouldn’t mean anything. Maybe not to Louis, but it would mean a lot more to Harry. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he forced himself to say, swallowing down his guilt and confusion. “I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable or do anything you wouldn’t want to.” He couldn’t tell Louis the _real_ reason why he thought it was a bad idea; that it would be torture for Harry to be that close with Louis and hot have him completely.

“Harry,” Louis said softly, reaching out across the desk to place his hand on top of Harry’s. “This was my idea, yeah? I was the one who practically attacked you at the party on Friday. I wouldn’t have brought it up if it would make me uncomfortable. You’re my best friend and I’m more comfortable around you than anyone else. I don’t want anything serious right now and I just wanna have a bit of fun. Who else would be better to have fun with than your best mate?” He lightly squeezed Harry’s hand before letting go. “If this makes _you_ uncomfortable then we don’t have to do it. It can just be a one-time thing that we both enjoyed and we never have to speak of it again.”

Harry inhaled deeply, his fingers shaking against the wood surface of his desk. He guessed Louis had a point, it _would_ be fun. Just thinking about having regular sex with Louis caused his head to spin. God, he wanted it so badly, but getting to be with Louis like that and know that it wouldn't mean anything to him might just be worse than not being with him at all.

“I’m not uncomfortable with it,” Harry said only half lying. “I guess we could work something out.”

“Yeah?” Louis smiled, but the look of surprise that flashed across his face didn’t go undetected. 

“Sure,” Harry nodded. “Like you said, it’s just a bit of fun.”

This was a terrible idea. But then again it couldn’t be that terrible if he got to kiss and touch Louis as much as he wanted. He already had a small taste of what that could be like and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to try it again.

They agreed to not to do anything while at work again, too risky, but they’d work out more details later. 

\--

Having sex with your best friend should be weird, but it _wasn’t_. It felt almost normal, like it was what they were born to do. It definitely was the best sex Harry had ever had, but it was with Louis so he might have been just a tad bit biased.

They still had their normal movie nights, ate lunch together every day at work, played video games with Niall and Liam, and went out with some of their coworkers. Almost every time they were alone together, they’d end up fucking. Okay, not _actually_ fucking, they hadn’t gotten that far yet. Harry hoped they would get there eventually, mostly just foreplay, but it was still amazing. It was literally mind-blowing. Just having Louis’ mouth on him was like nothing Harry had ever experienced.

At first, Harry was afraid to initiate anything. Even though they had discussed it and it was Louis’ idea, he couldn’t get that little voice in the back of his head to shut up. He _knew_ that it was okay and that Louis wanted it too, but there was something in him that was physically holding him back. 

All it took was Louis opening the door of his apartment for Harry and immediately pushing him up against the wall to seal their lips together before eventually dragging him back to his bedroom. After that, Harry never heard from that voice in his head again.

Now, the hand Louis had tangled in Harry’s hair was tugging so hard his scalp was stinging, but he _loved_ it. He had already come twice today, but that little hint of pain was making his spent cock twitch between his legs.

“ _Jesus_ , Harry,” Louis cried out, his hips bucking up off the mattress which caused his cock to be shoved further into Harry’s mouth. Harry gagged around his mouthful, spit dripping down his chin. He took it easily though because he loved it, loved feeling full, he breathed deeply through his nose and wiggled his tongue against the underside of Louis’ cock. “Your fucking mouth. M‘close.”

Harry doubled his efforts after that, sucking Louis all the way down until he could feel Louis’ cock twitching between his lips. He pulled off until just the head was in his mouth and used his tongue to lave over the smooth crown of it, soft and slow.

Louis’ nails scraped against Harry’s scalp, his breath catching and his whole body going rigid as he came. Harry caught most of it on his tongue, but some landed on his nose and cheek. The salty, bitter taste of him was so overwhelming, his eyes watering, throat raw and burning. It was hot and dirty, but Harry was reveling in it. He loved that he could reduce Louis to this out of breath, boneless, _sated_ thing. It was like heaven. 

He kissed the inside of Louis’ thigh before crawling up the mattress to lie next to him. He laid on his side with his head propped up on his hand just watching Louis as he came down. He used his free hand to brush Louis’ fringe away from his sweaty forehead, carding his fingers through his hair. Louis’ chest was still rapidly rising and falling with his strangled breaths, eyes closed, eyelashes casting shadows onto his cheeks. His skin flushed a deep red. Louis was so flawlessly, perfectly beautiful that Harry couldn’t _breathe_ sometimes when he looked at him.

It was getting late, the sun starting to set beyond the window. Harry had come over earlier that morning and they spent the majority of the day in bed. That was how they ended up nowadays. It was Sunday night and they both had to be at work in the morning and Harry knew it was coming. He wanted to prolong this moment as long as possible.

Slowly, Louis began to blink his eyes open, rolling on his side to face Harry. “Hey,” he said, voice rough.

“Hey,” Harry said back, his voice equally as rough.

Louis smiled a sleepy smile and pulled the sheets up over his body, tucking them just underneath his chin. “It’s getting late, yeah? I’m totally worn out. You should probably get going.”

Harry’s heart sank. This always happened afterward, Louis would push him away or kick him out. The whiplash from being so intimate with him to _that_ was jarring. It was like the more they hooked up the more distant Louis became. He didn’t say anything in reply, just quietly slipped into the bathroom to clean up before getting dressed and making his way back home. 

\--

Having _actual_ sex with your best friend, like _penetrative_ sex, should be weird, but it wasn’t. It was incredible and exceeded every single one of Harry’s expectations. Harry always bottomed because Louis mentioned that he didn’t do that, which was all fine and good, Harry was flexible when it came to that. He liked sex and as long as he was getting off with someone he liked, he didn’t really care how it happened, he would enjoy it.

As enjoyable as it was, which it _really_ was, it was also _confusing_. Louis seemed even more closed off and distant and that was a side of Louis that Harry has never seen. Louis always had this loud, unabashed, don’t give a shit about anything attitude, which was one of the many, many reasons why Harry loved him. But every time they slept together, Louis just sort of shut down, became this whole other person that Harry didn’t know.

Harry’s head hurt from trying to make sense of it all. This whole thing they were doing was Louis’ idea, so why was he acting so different? What made it even more strange was that Louis was fine when they were just being best friends and hanging out like normal, but as soon as they did anything sexual together, Louis turned off.

Sometimes, when they were being intimate, Louis would give Harry these _looks_ , almost like there was something there, something more behind them. Harry thought that maybe Louis was starting to feel something for Harry, something more than friendship. Harry didn’t want to get his hopes up, it was possible that he was imagining the way Louis would look at him because that was what he _wanted_. Because why would Louis have feelings for him and then push Harry away?

Because of this, because of Louis being distant, Harry started to doubt himself. He hated these feelings, hated that he didn’t know what was going on, and he just hoped that he wouldn’t be too much of a coward to finally talk to Louis about it.

\--

Harry rotated his hips in little figure eights, trying to get Louis’ cock to hit all the right spots deep inside him. He groaned, eyes flying open and head tipping back when he finally got it right. 

Hands roamed up the length of Harry’s thighs, stopping to grip at the soft sides of his hips. Harry hummed as he bounced, his nails dragging down Louis’ chest. The hands on his hips tightened their grip, effectively halting Harry’s movements.

He frowned as he struggled to get Louis’ cock fully buried inside him, the grip on his hips preventing him from sinking down like the wanted. The desperate need to feel full again overwhelming him. 

Harry opened his mouth to ask Louis what the hell he was doing, but the words on the tip of his tongue never made it all the way out because, at that same moment, Louis harshly snapped his hips up. Harry yelped as he was jostled, his hands quickly scrambling for purchase on Louis’ shoulders.

Each one of Louis’ rough thrusts was perfectly angled, causing stars to dance behind Harry’s closed eyelids and he was completely helpless after that. He collapsed on top of Louis’ chest, no longer having the energy to keep himself upright. Louis wound his arms around Harry’s waist, not letting up with the relentless movement of his hips as he punted into him.

Harry whimpered into Louis’ neck as tears sprang to the corners of his eyes. His cock was now trapped in between their bodies, rubbing against both of their stomachs, that combined with the persistent pressure against his prostate had Harry rapidly hurtling towards the edge.

He cried out as he came, biting down on the skin on Louis’ shoulder, going limp against his chest. More tears rushed to his eyes and pooled along his waterline. It was only a few short moments later that Harry heard Louis groan and felt the warmth of his release against his back.

Neither one of them moved as they tried to catch their breath, Harry placing wet kisses against Louis’ neck. Harry didn’t want to ever move, he knew that the fragile bubble they created around would pop if he did. He could feel the edges of it fraying already. He always hated this part.

“Sorry,” Louis murmured, breaking the still silence of the room. “I probably shouldn't have done that. I just hate coming inside a condom.”

“‘s okay,” Harry replied. “I like it.” He did though, He _really_ liked it. Liked feeling dirty and marked. He hummed as he wiggled his bum feeling some of Louis’ come drip down through his crack. He was sweat-slick and sticky on both sides and he loved it. “You mind if I hop in the shower?”

“Sure,” Louis said, rolling Harry off of him so he could grab some tissues from his nightstand to wipe himself down with. “Just make it quick, yeah? I need to shower too and I want to at least get a few decent hours of sleep before work in the morning.”

Harry bit his lip to keep the offer of asking Louis to join him in the shower from slipping out. He knew that would never happen, that was something they definitely didn’t do. 

He stood from the bed and made his way across the room and into Louis’ bathroom. He shut the door behind him before flipping on the light. He stared at himself in the mirror noticing how fucked out he looked. His hair was a right mess, bruises already blooming all over his skin from Louis’ mouth and fingers. It’s too bad he couldn’t enjoy it for longer than a night. He sighed as he turned on the water in the shower.

He stepped inside and winced as the cold water hit him; not bothering with waiting for the water to heat up fully. He used the body wash on the shelf to rinse his body and it made his chest ache from how much it reminded him of Louis.

As Harry watched the soapy suds wash down the drain, he decided tonight was the night. He was finally going to ask Louis if he could stay over. He had stayed over at Louis’ house several times, but he had always slept in the guest room and he never stayed over since they started this _thing_ between them. Recently, well _always_ , but even more so recently, Harry had been longing to wake up next to Louis, more so than he usually did.

After his shower, he grabbed a towel from the cabinet and wrapped it around his waist. He switched off the light and wandered back into the bedroom. The aching in his chest returned when he saw Louis curled up beneath the sheets fast asleep, soft snores falling from his lips.

There was nothing Harry wanted more than to slip underneath the blankets on the opposite side of the bed and fall asleep with Louis’ warm body against his, but he didn't want to intrude. He knew that was crossing the line, the invisible line that neither one of them ever talked about. 

Instead, Harry folded up the towel and placed it back in the bathroom before getting dressed in the clothes he showed up in almost three hours ago. He swallowed around the lump in his throat as he quietly let himself out of Louis’ flat.

\--

The sun was just starting to rise by the time Harry opened the door to his own flat. He tiptoed as quietly as possible into his kitchen, trying not to wake Niall. He filled the kettle with water and turned it on before grabbing a mug and a teabag from the cabinet above. He sat in his usual chair at their small kitchen table and rested his head in his hands as he waited.

He doesn’t have to be at work for another few hours so he should probably get some sleep, but there are too many thoughts jumbled up inside his brain and he knew that sleep was a lost cause at this point.

“You look like shit, mate.”

Harry startled at the sound of his flatmate’s voice, turning in his chair to see Niall entering the kitchen already dressed for work. Must be going in early today then. “Cheers.” 

“Did you get any sleep last night?” Niall asked, reaching up for a box a cereal from the cabinet.

“No,” Harry replied, staring at the kettle willing it to boil. He knew that a watched pot never boils, does that apply to a kettle as well? “I just got home. Was at Louis’ last night.” He just barely whispered that last part because he’s really not in the mood for Niall’s judgment right now. 

Niall stopped as he was reaching in the fridge for the milk, giving Harry a sympathetic look. And there it was, the exact thing Harry was trying to avoid. “When are you going to tell him?”

The sound of the kettle shutting off had Harry jumping up from his chair. “Tell him about what?” He said, feigning ignorance because he knew exactly what Niall was asking him about, but he hadn't had his tea yet and was in no state to actually talk about it. He was tired of talking about this every time he brought up Louis around Niall. He should have learned from his mistakes the countless other times this had happened, and yet, here he was. 

Niall arched a brow as he handed Harry the milk after he was finished pouring it into his cereal. Harry smiled at him in thanks and poured a splash of it into his tea. “Tell him that you’re in love with him.”

Good thing Harry hadn’t taken a sip of his tea yet because he definitely would have choked and spit it all over himself. “I’m not _in love_ with him.” 

That was a complete and utter lie and both he and Niall knew it. His chest ached and his heart beat double time at Niall just saying those words. It was getting a little out of hand.

Niall didn’t say anything, just sat at the table with his cereal and gave Harry another one of his sympathetic looks that Harry was so tired of. He didn’t need Niall’s sympathy, or anyone’s for that matter. He was just a guy with a crush on another guy who didn’t feel the same way about him, it wasn’t that big of a deal. 

That was pretty much his whole life anyway, with him falling for one straight guy after another when he was younger. Except, Louis isn’t straight, and he’s shown at least some sort of interest in Harry. A sexual interest, but at least that was better than nothing. 

\--

“So, I’m sort of talking to someone.”

Harry tried to control his reaction, he hoped he was exhausted enough that he didn’t even flinch. He wasn’t sure what time it was, probably well past midnight at this point, but he honestly didn’t care. He was sweaty and covered in both his _and_ Louis’ come, but he was completely worn out from his _three_ orgasms that he probably wouldn’t be able to move for a good week.

“You are?” Harry said, voice hoarse and scratchy. “Who is it?”

“He’s someone that works with Liam,” Louis answered. “Apparently he’s been talking about me ever since I visited Liam last week and Liam asked if he could give him my number and I said yes. So we’ve been texting a bit.”

There was a sudden deep, sharp pain in Harry’s chest. He believed it was a piece of his heart cracking, but he chose to ignore it because that was too dramatic even for him. “That’s great, Lou. M’happy that you’ve found someone.” It felt awkward to be talking about someone else literal seconds after they just had sex and now Harry _wanted_ to get up and leave even though his body was protesting it.

“We aren’t dating, Haz,” Louis laughed. “We’ve just been flirting a little. It’s nothing serious.”

“Well still,” Harry said. “I’m happy for you.” He’d seen Louis date people before and suffered through it just fine, but he was selfishly hoping that wouldn’t happen again since they started hooking up. If Louis wanted to be with someone else _of course_ Harry would be supportive, but he’d also be breaking a little bit on the inside too.

\--

Harry wasn’t big on the whole club scene, never had been. Even back in his uni days when he regularly went out with his mates. He never saw the point of it. He didn’t understand why people _wanted_ to go out to a place where the music was too loud and the drinks were too expensive and the people were too wild.

He hadn’t even been to a club since university—he didn’t want to do the math to figure out how many years it had been since then, he _wasn’t_ getting old—but when he mentioned to Niall that he wanted to go out, Niall _jumped_ at the opportunity.

Now, he was standing in front of his mirror awkwardly adjusting his shirt. It was a completely sheer long-sleeved black button up that hadn’t seen the light of day in god knows how long. It was shoved to the very back of his closet and he had forgotten he even owned it. He used to wear it on nights out when he tried to pull, back before he met Louis and was ruined for anyone else. Harry didn’t even _notice_ other men anymore, he only had eyes for Louis.

He and Niall took an Uber to the club and Harry almost turned right around and went back home when he saw how long the queue to get in was. Niall convinced him to stay and thankfully the line seemed like it was moving relatively quickly. 

Once inside, Harry was severely regretting his decision to go out. For one, Niall had immediately found a girl he was interested in and took her out to the dance floor, leaving Harry alone. And it was so suffocatingly hot from all the bodies packed inside that he was already sweating.

Luckily, there were a few open seats at the round bar in the middle of the club and Harry took one, asking the bartender for a pint. He knew a club probably wasn't the best place to find a potential boyfriend, but it was the only place he could think of to get something quick and easy that would hopefully take his mind off Louis. His phone kept buzzing in his pocket and he _knew_ it was Louis, but Harry just took another sip of his beer and ignored it.

He didn’t know long he’d been sat at the bar, but it was long enough to drink two full pints. He was just about to order another one when the bartender placed two shots of _something_ in front of him. Harry frowned down at them.

“Excuse me!” Harry shouted over the music, hoping to catch the bartender before he got too far down toward the other end of the bar. “I didn’t order these.”

“That bloke over there ordered them for you,” the bartender said, pointing somewhere over his shoulder. Harry looked in the direction he was pointing to the other side of the bar and instantly locked eyes with the guy who Harry assumed was the one who ordered him the shots. He smirked and nodded at Harry when he noticed him looking.

Well, he wasn’t unattractive, not in the slightest, and Harry thought _he’ll do_. He downed the two shots, cringing at the burn in his throat, before pushing himself off the barstool and walking through the clusters of people to the opposite side of the bar.

“Wanna dance?” Harry asked the guy who bought him the shots. He was even cuter up close. He was a few inches taller than Harry, broad-shouldered and muscular, a nice dusting of stubble over his face. They quickly exchanged pleasantries and then Harry was being led out onto the dancefloor.

It was more grinding than dancing and much dirtier than Harry was usually comfortable with in public and with someone he met a mere five minutes ago. But the shots were already affecting him, making his head a little fuzzy, and there was someone on his mind that he wanted to forget. If Louis could easily start taking an interest in someone else, then so could Harry. Or at least he could _try_.

Hands on his hips spun him around and he was suddenly chest to chest with another body. Harry was shocked when he looked up at the face belonging to the body he was pressed against and it wasn’t who he was expecting it to be. This man was too tall and bulky, not petite and curvy like Harry preferred. And his eyes were a dark brown instead of the piercing blue he was used to.

He shoved Chad away from him, making up some excuse before bolting towards the front of the club. What kind of fucking name was Chad anyway? His name definitely didn't feel as soft and smooth in his mouth like Louis’ did. 

Harry looked around for Niall, but couldn’t spot him in the sea of people surrounding him. He didn’t bother searching for him, he was _suffocating_ in here and he needed to get out. He shot off a text to Niall telling him was going home, ignoring the multiple notifications on his screen from someone else. He opened his Uber app and was happy to see that there were several cars just a block away. 

It didn’t take long for his ride to show up once he made it outside. He slid into the backseat, saying a quick hello to the driver, and then turning his phone off completely.

\-- 

He was lying in bed, where he plopped himself down face first almost thirty minutes ago when he got home from work. He was exhausted from working late and he desperately needed a shower, but he didn’t think his body was capable of movement. 

He heard his phone buzz from somewhere in the tangled mess of sheets and his hand roamed around until it came into contact with it. His stomach did a little flip when he saw the new Snapchat notification from Louis. 

He swiped his thumb across the notification on his screen and Snapchat opened up. He clicked on the new snap from Louis and his mouth went dry. 

_How does this look?_ Was written across the screen of a mirror selfie of Louis. He looked _incredible_. Like, that was the usual for Louis, there was never a time when he didn’t look amazing and well put together. He was wearing those black skinny jeans of his that Harry loved so much that accentuated the fullness of his thighs and the flare of his hips. He’d paired it with an off-white jumper that hung loosely on his frame, most likely a couple sizes too big for him, that made him look extra soft and cuddly. His hair was styled up off his forehead, his face clean shaven. 

Harry picked a random filter and made a funny face to snap back to Louis. _You look very handsome. What’s the occasion?_

It was only a few seconds later when he received Louis’ reply. _Got a date tonight_ was written over a photo of a pair of velvet grey brogues which Harry was assuming Louis was wearing with his outfit. 

Harry’s heart _stopped._ He knew something like this would happen eventually, especially since he was talking to someone else. It was inevitable. But of course, his stubborn self wanted to believe it wouldn’t. Louis wasn’t his, they weren’t dating, and Louis had every right to go out on dates, look for someone to spend his life with and forget all about Harry. It was fine. Totally fine. 

_Have fun_ he snapped back over a black screen because he was too afraid to show his face, too afraid that Louis would be able to read everything he was feeling. He tossed his phone on his bed and ignored the emptiness in his chest as he finally got up to go take that shower. 

\--

_Can you come over?_

Harry frowned down at the text message on his phone. It wasn’t very late, only a few hours after Louis first snapped him about his date and Harry was confused. Surely, his date wasn’t already over.

Of course, Harry replied and said he would be over shortly because he’s weak when it came to Louis. He would _easily_ bend over backward for anything that Louis wanted or needed. He threw on some clothes since he was still in just his boxer briefs after his shower and headed out. 

He knocked on the door to Louis’ flat and he could feel in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong. When Louis swung open the door a few minutes later, his suspicions were confirmed. Louis looked rough, to say the least, his eyes were puffy almost like he had been crying and his artfully styled hair from earlier in the night had fallen and was lying across his forehead. 

Louis gave him a weak smile and gestured for him to come inside and only then did Harry take in what Louis was wearing. He was dressed in a pair of black Adidas joggers with an oversized almost see-through white t-shirt. It was such a harsh contrast to what he was wearing just a few hours ago for his date and it just made Harry even more confused.

Louis looked softer than Harry had seen him in a while and he wanted nothing more than to snuggle up to him in bed and just sleep with his arms wrapped around Louis’ smaller body. He knew that wasn’t a possibility though. That was far too intimate for what they've been doing and he was sure that it would scare Louis away forever.

He aimlessly followed Louis into the kitchen and that was when the smells hit him. It smelled _amazing_ , like tomato sauce and spices and Harry’s mouth watered. That was when he realized Louis was _cooking_ , he didn’t even know that Louis _could_ cook.

“Are you hungry?” Louis asked, stirring whatever was in the pot on the stove. “I’ve just got some pasta going, nothing too fancy. I’m not really in the mood to do anything tonight so I thought we could eat and watch a movie or something.”

That was rare. That was usually what they did before the whole fuck buddies thing happened between them, but nowadays they’d usually get straight to the having sex bit. 

Louis must have taken Harry’s silence as a bad thing because his brow furrowed and he suddenly started backpedaling. “I’m sorry, this was a stupid idea. I didn’t want to be alone tonight.” He started walking toward the front door. “You can leave, I shouldn’t have even invited you over in the first place. I’m sorry.”

As soon as Louis started to turn the doorknob, Harry got his wits about him and rushed to his side. “Hey, no,” Harry said, placing a hand on Louis’ forearm. “Lou, you’re still my best friend and I love spending time with you. I think a chill night and a movie sounds nice.”

Louis’ hand dropped from the doorknob, but his eyes didn’t leave Harry’s. They held their gazes together for a moment and Harry gave a small nod to ensure Louis that he meant what he said. Since when was Louis so unsure about spending time with him? 

They ate in relative silence as they watched some random movie Louis pulled up on Netflix. It would have been a fine and perfectly normal night for them if Harry couldn’t feel the tension between them. He didn’t understand what was happening or why Louis had been acting off all night, but he needed to figure it out because he didn’t like it one bit.

He set his plate down on the coffee table and shifted himself on the couch so he was facing Louis. “Are you going to tell me what all this is about?”

Louis pressed a button on the remote to pause the movie, his eyes never leaving the screen in front of him. “Tell you what what is about?”

“This,” Harry said, vaguely gesturing around him. “I thought you had a date tonight and then you invite me over and you’ve been acting all weird. What’s going on, Lou?”

“The date didn’t go so well,” Louis replied, his voice quiet. Well, Harry had gathered that much himself, but that still didn’t explain anything. 

“Okay, why? What happened?” Harry pressed.

Louis sighed, shifting slightly on the sofa. To anyone else, it probably wouldn’t be obvious, but since Harry was so _attuned_ to Louis he could tell that Louis was shifting _away_ from him. “He was nice and all, but he just wasn’t—” he cut himself off, shaking his head. He grabbed their plates from the table and headed into the kitchen. 

Harry rushed to catch up with him. “What? He just wasn’t what?”

“Nothing,” Louis snapped, obvious tension on his shoulders as he set their dishes in the sink. “It doesn’t matter. It just didn’t work out with him, okay? I invited you over because I knew you could help me get my mind off it, but I guess I was wrong.” He shouldered past Harry as he left the kitchen and walked back into the living room.

“I’m sorry,” Harry said, joining Louis on the sofa again. “I knew something was off with you and I shouldn’t have pressed. We can go back to watching the movie now if you want.”

Louis just nodded and settled against Harry’s side, pressing the button to resume the movie. Not long after, Harry could feel Louis starting to get restless. He kept changing the position he was sitting in like he couldn’t get comfortable and he was hardly paying attention to the film anymore.

“Lous, what’s wrong?” Harry asked.

“Nothing,” Louis replied, voice strained. “Just don’t really want to watch this anymore.”

“Oh,” Harry said, frowning. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” Louis reached out to grab Harry’s arm, preventing him from standing. “I don’t want that all.”

“What do you want then?” Harry was just getting confused now.

He didn’t even get the question out fully before Louis’ placing his hands on Harry’s shoulders and pushing him to lie flat on the sofa, crawling into his lap, and bracketing his hips with his knees. He leaned down and fixed his mouth to Harry’s neck and _sucked._

Harry whined high in his throat, his hands automatically moving to Louis’ hips. He writhed under the pressure of Louis’ hot and slick mouth against his neck.

“You think you fucking me will help me forget all about that other guy?” Louis mumbled, tugging on the collar of Harry’s shirt so he could bite along Harry’s collarbone.

Harry nearly blacked out at that. He definitely thought Louis wanted sex when he invited him over earlier because that was all they’d been doing lately, they don’t really _hang out_ anymore, but Louis quickly proved him wrong. He wasn’t upset in the slightest, as much as he loved having sex with Louis, he loved spending time with him just as much. Just being in close proximity to Louis made him ridiculously happy. “You want me to fuck you?”

“Mhm,” Louis hummed, his lips vibrating against Harry’s neck causing Harry to shiver. “Yeah, I do. I want it so badly, fuck.”

“I thought—” Harry cut off with a gasp when Louis pressed his hips down against his own. He could _feel_ how hard Louis was. “I thought you didn’t bottom.”

Louis sat up and Harry whined at the loss, already missing Louis’ body heat. “Yeah, I lied about that. I don't bottom with one night stands and stuff because I have to really trust someone before I do that. But I trust you so much, Harry, and I really want that with you. Please.”

Harry nodded, his head lolling back onto one of the couch cushions because Louis was now pushing his shirt up his body and leaving kisses on each patch of exposed skin. “Okay. I can do that.” He’d been dreaming of fucking Louis for _ages_ even before they started this whole no strings attached thing, so he could _definitely_ do that.

They made quick work of taking their clothes off. Harry wasn’t even sure where his shirt landed when Louis tossed it, but he wasn’t worried about that once Louis settled back on top of him, this time fully and gloriously naked. He still couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to see Louis like this, it never failed to take his breath away. Louis was so _unfairly_ beautiful and Harry didn’t understand how he could be so soft yet sharp all at once and it did things to his head. And his cock. God, his cock _really_ liked it.

Louis reached out for the empty blue vase on his coffee table, or what Harry thought was empty because Louis stuck his hand inside and came out with a pretty hefty bottle of lube and a string of condoms. He wondered how long those had been stashed there. Louis flicked open the cap on the lube with his thumb and drizzled quite a sizeable amount onto the fingers of his right hand. He twisted his arm behind himself.

Harry’s stomach clenched and he pouted because as hot as it was to watch Louis fingering himself open, he would much rather _be_ the one to do it; to feel how tight and hot Louis was on the inside. “I can do that.” He gripped onto Louis’ thighs, feeling the muscles strain as he held himself up.

Louis grinned, his eyes fluttering from the pleasure as he sat himself back on his fingers. “I know you can, love, but I just wanna get meself stretched out enough to take you. I want your dick in me sooner rather than later and I know you’d drag it out for ages.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Harry _would_ drag it out for ages, make Louis fall apart just from his fingers. The thought of that was _dizzying_. He was definitely tucking that away to save for a later date. Instead, he ran his hands up Louis’ thighs and around his slim waist to cup his bum in his palms. “Can I at least have a feel?”

Louis nodded and slowed the movement of his hand so Harry could inch his fingers into his lube-slick crack. He held his breath as he finally brushed his fingertips over Louis’ slippery hole where it was currently stretched around _three_ of Louis’ fingers; he used his thumb and pinky fingers to spread himself open. Louis’ rim fluttered beneath Harry’s touch, clenching around the fingers stuffed inside of it, and his stomach _plummeted_ from how fucking hot it was. 

He gasped when Louis started to move his fingers again, his hole _easily_ accommodating them. Harry could hear the wet, dirty sounds coming from Louis unabashedly fingering himself open. Harry’s cock was literally _dripping_ from how turned on he was.

Without even thinking, Harry slid the tip of his index finger in alongside Louis’. His mind went numb from how little effort it took, Louis’ hole _sucking_ his finger in like it was nothing. The extra intrusion caused Louis’ rhythm to falter and used his free forearm to brace himself against Harry’s chest. He tucked his head into the crook of Harry’s neck and tilted his hips back to allow Harry to slip his finger in even further.

It was hot. _Literally_. Louis was _burning_ on the inside. He felt like heaven just around his finger. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what that slippery heat would feel like around his cock. He felt like he was going to pass out just from thinking about it. No way he would last longer than a few _seconds_. 

“I think I’m ready,” Louis groaned, sitting back up which pushed himself further down onto both of their fingers.

Reluctantly, Harry slipped his finger out of Louis’ hole and wiped the sticky lube off against his leg. He grabbed the condom from off the coffee table, ripped open the little foil packet, and rolled it down over his cock. He winced at the contact because that little touch was almost enough to send him over the edge. It had been lying against his stomach, leaking and oversensitive, feeling awfully neglected.

Louis rose up on his knees so he could grip Harry’s cock and position it underneath him. He locked eyes with Harry as he slowly lowered himself, guiding Harry’s cock to where he was slick and warm and waiting. 

It took a few tries for Louis to get the angle just right, but finally, _finally_ , he got it right and the head of Harry’s cock nudged inside Louis’ hole. All the air was knocked from Harry’s lungs from the feel of it. Louis was impossibly hotter now than he was before and tight as a vice around him. Harry was seeing stars.

Louis whined, shifting his weight a little bit to get that perfect angle before _slowly_ lowering himself all the way down. Harry kept his hands gripped on either side of Louis’ hips to help guide him down. 

“Oh my god,” Louis groaned once he was bottomed out, tilting his head back, exposing the gorgeous line of this throat that Harry’s mouth was _watering_ with the urge to mark up. He rocked his hips back and forth, creating this delicious friction on the head of Harry’s cock. “You feel so good in me, so thick. It’s so much better than I ever imagined.”

Good was an understatement and this was probably the best moment of Harry’s life. Being inside of Louis was the best thing he had ever felt, it was like a religious experience. 

Harry watched in awe, drinking in the sight of Louis sitting atop him, hips still rocking in small increments as he adjusted. Louis’ chest was shining with sweat, the muscles in his arms flexing as he held his weight up against Harry’s chest, his nails digging into Harry’s skin. His cock red and twitching and wet at the tip; the prettiest thing Harry had ever seen. It was just a lot to take in. 

As desperately as Harry wanted to move, to thrust up into the heat of Louis’ body, he also wanted to _last_ , and he knew that if he did move it would be over for him in no time. So he just laid there and let Louis fuck himself on Harry’s cock like he was born to do it.

Louis arched his back, gasping at the new angle, riding Harry in earnest now as he tried to chase that feeling. His mouth dropped open each time he bore down, hole clenching around Harry’s shaft with the motion and hands scrambling across Harry’s chest. Louis’ nails grazed across one of Harry’s nipples, the pain-pleasure shooting through Harry’s body causing his head to swim and his hips to harshly buck up almost toppling Louis over.

“Fuck,” Louis grunted. “Do that again.”

Nodding, Harry thrust his hips up each time Louis came down. The sweetest, high-pitched sounds were falling from Louis’ lips, his delicate wrist flicking his fringe out of his eyes. Harry felt that sharp tug in his gut and he knew it wasn’t going to be much longer. “Lou, I’m not gonna last. You feel too good.”

“S’okay,” Louis panted, back still arched beautifully as he bounced, eyes closed in bliss. “Touch me, I’m close too.”

One of Harry’s hands moved to Louis’ cock, wrapping his fist around it. It _throbs_ against his palm as he tugs, precome leaking onto his stomach. Louis whines as he comes, his hole rapidly tightening around Harry’s cock. No man in his right mind would be able to withstand _that_ and Harry was pushed over the edge as well. He bites down on his bottom lip, his vision whiting out as he spills into the condom. 

Louis limply collapsed against Harry’s chest, his body shaking through the aftershocks. They were both sticky with sweat, but Harry couldn’t possibly be any further away from caring about that right now as he wrapped his arms around Louis and held him close.

“That was incredible,” Louis said, his voice hoarse. He ran his fingers down Harry’s side, slow and soft.

“Mmm,” Harry hummed in agreement. “Incredible doesn't even begin to describe it.”

Louis laughed, this light and airy thing that made Harry’s heart skip a beat. Louis peeled himself off Harry’s body, his thighs quaking as he lifted up to let Harry’s cock to slip out. He pulled the condom off in one smooth motion and wandered off toward the kitchen to toss it away. 

Harry was still lying on the sofa trying to catch his breath when Louis came back into the room. He leaned down and kissed the corner of Harry’s mouth before grabbing Harry’s hand and tugging him up from the couch. “C’mon big guy, let’s go shower. Let me clean you up.” And well, Harry couldn’t really argue with that.

\--

The following week practically flew by and Harry didn’t see much of Louis the whole time. They just received an influx of new clients at work and the whole office was drowning in the workload.

It was Friday night, Niall was out of town for the weekend and Harry had sneakily brought some of his work home with him because he was so swamped while _at work_ that he still had piles of paperwork that needed to be finished. He had to type up all the new client information and then import them into their new electronic filing system, which thankfully he was still able to log into from home. 

“Why are you doing that?” Louis asked, because of course he invited himself over and Harry couldn’t say no to him. He was watching _something_ on the telly while Harry was typing on his laptop, but Harry had absolutely no clue what it was. “It’s Friday night and you aren’t even being paid for it.”

“Because it needs to be done, Louis,” Harry snapped harsher than he intended. “And Stephanie and I are the only ones who know how to work the new system and she has enough on her plate as it is. I’m just trying to help out.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be doing something else?” Louis said, his voice low and mischievous. He scooted closer to Harry on the sofa and began kissing up his neck, dipping his fingers underneath the hem of Harry’s hoodie.

Harry shifted away from it because he was _trying_ to get some work done but he was tired and stressed and hungry because he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and Louis kissing him like that wasn't helping in the slightest. 

And it also didn’t help that Louis had been acting differently around him since that night after his failed date. He’d been so tactile and gentle and _tender_ with Harry and it was so _confusing_ because Harry knew it didn’t mean anything, but Harry desperately wanted it to mean something. Harry had spent years _yearning_ for Louis’ touch and now that he finally got it it didn’t feel _right_. He was so goddamn lovesick over Louis he felt like he was going to explode.

He could feel the panic bubbling inside of him and he couldn’t do it anymore, he couldn’t _breathe_. “I can’t do this anymore,” he said, shaking like a leaf because he felt like he just ruined everything with those five little words.

“Then don’t,” Louis chuckled. “I’m sure it will be fine if you wait until Monday morning. No need to work over the weekend.”

“No,” Harry shook his head, placing his laptop on the coffee table so he could stand up from the couch and put some distance between him and Louis. He needed to be able to think, to get his words out, and he couldn’t do that with Louis so close to him. He felt the guilty knots twisting in his stomach, frustrated tears stinging his eyes. “Not the work stuff. I mean _this_ —” he gestured between the two of them “—this thing between us. I can’t do it anymore.” 

“Oh,” Louis said quietly, looking down at his hands in his lap, toying with the seam of his jeans. “That’s okay. I shouldn’t have pressured you, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t pressure me,” Harry snapped. “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it if I didn’t want to. I just...I can’t fake it anymore. I can’t be with you _physically_ and have it not mean anything.” He took a few shaky deep breaths and whispered the next part, his voice breaking. “I’m in love with you and this is killing me.”

He said it so quietly he was sure Louis wasn’t able to hear it and a part of him kind of wished that he hadn’t, but the sharp inhale of a breath and the hand reaching out for his own told him that Louis did, in fact, hear it. 

“I’m a fucking idiot,” Louis said. Harry’s eyes widened and he frantically shook his head. He opened his mouth to disagree, but Louis put his hand up, silencing him. “No, I am. I didn’t take your feelings into account with this when I should have and for that, I apologize. I never once thought that you would feel that way about me. Yeah, sure, I _hoped_ that you did, but I knew that I would never be good enough for you.” He tugged on Harry’s hand and Harry stumbled a little closer. “I”m in love with you too, Harry, and I’m so sorry that you ever thought that I wasn’t. I’ve _always_ been.”

Harry just blinked in response, trying to process what Louis had said. Surely, he didn’t _actually_ say what Harry thought he said. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him because that was what he’d been hoping Louis would say for years, but there was no possible way in hell that those words just came out of Louis Tomlinson’s mouth. “You...what?”

“I love you,” Louis repeated. “Like completely gone, head over heels, ruined for anyone else in love with you.” Harry dropped Louis’ hand and sat back down on the sofa. He tried to swallow the weight of Louis’ words, but they kept getting lodged in his throat. “That night after the office party,” Louis continued. “I kissed you because I couldn’t contain it anymore, couldn’t keep my feelings bottled up, but afterward I was so scared that I had possibly ruined our friendship. It felt so good to be close with you like that and I needed it again so I came up with this stupid idea because I was too much of a fucking coward to tell you how I really felt. I was planning on telling you, I _was_ , but every time I got close I chickened out.”

Stunned. That was one way to describe how Harry was feeling. It felt like a dream honestly. The happy tears burning behind his eyes were now welling up and falling down his cheeks. Louis _loved him_. “Then why did you go out with that guy Liam set you up with?”

“Because I was _scared_ ,” Louis explained frustratedly. “I didn’t want to spend my life being miserable and pining after my best friend so I went out with him in hopes that it would help me get over you because I knew you’d never feel that way about me. But he wasn’t you and it felt so _wrong_. I’m so sorry if that hurt you, that was never my intention.”

“S’okay,” Harry lied, furiously wiping at the tears on his face. “I was just confused. And why did you push me away every time we had sex?”

Louis’ face fell and he slumped in on himself. “Again, that was me being an idiot. I was afraid that if I got too close to you, you would be able to see right through me and tell how I felt about you. That terrified me because I didn’t want to lose you, so I tried to distance myself. I’m so sorry, Harry. I know that I’ve hurt you and I’ve toyed with your emotions and I never meant to do that, I truly didn’t, I was just scared.”

Harry nodded, he didn’t know that at the time, but knowing that _now_ , it kind of made sense. After all, Harry was almost doing the same thing to him. 

It was quiet after that, both of them sitting there trying to process what had just happened. It was a lot to take in. The man that Harry was in love with loved him back and his heart didn’t really know what to do with that information besides beat wildly out of control.

“So,” Louis said, breaking the silence. “You love me.”

It wasn’t a question because they both now knew how true of a statement that was, but it still took Harry by surprise and he barked out a wet laugh. “Yeah, I do.”

Louis reached out and used his thumb to wipe away a few tears still messily streaming down Harry’s face before leaning in to seal their lips together. It was soft and sweet at first, but it took no time at all to turn rough and heated. Louis fisted the front of Harry’s hoodie and shoved him down flat on the sofa, Louis easily settling on top of him, their lips never separating.

“I love you,” Louis mumbled as he trailed hot and messy kisses down Harry’s neck, stopping to suck over his Adam’s apple. “God, I love you so much it makes me crazy.” 

Harry couldn’t _breathe_ , could hardly believe he was lucky enough to hear Louis say those words _directed at him_. He was beside himself. “Me too, me too. Love you too.”

He pouted and blinked in confusion when Louis abruptly jumped up from the sofa, but it quickly faded away when Louis reached for him and said with a smirk, “Let’s move this to the bedroom, yeah?” Harry nodded and took Louis’ hand, letting himself be pulled down the hallway to his room, the work he brought home with him long forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m [ireallysawanangel](http://ireallysawanangel.tumblr.com) on tumblr, so come say hi!  
> 


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